Category Archives: Maine Lakes Society

Maine Lakes Fall 2021 Newsletter Is Out

Maine Lakes (formerly the Maine Lakes Society) has posted their Fall 2021 Newsletter and as usual, they’ve done a fantastic job of highlighting Maine Lakes and the issues they face. As usual, they cover a lot of ground. I found section 3 Recovering Loon Years Lost: Maine’s New Loon Stewardship Project to be a particularly compelling read, seeing as how loons are a prominent aspect of summers on Clary Lake. Our loons haven’t successful raised a family in quite a few years; the last time they actually managed to hatch any chicks was in the summer of 2018 (see: 27 June 2018: Loon Family Pictures) and sadly, both babies unaccountably disappeared by the 4th of July (see: 04 July 2018: Loon Chicks Missing). They nested again in 2019 but failed to hatch any chicks and we have not seen our loons attempting to nest since, a situation which is both highly unusual and quite disturbing.

A preliminary screening has identified 99 Maine lakes to be included in the Loon Stewardship Project. Clary Lake is not on that list, but ultimately, ALL Maine lakes will be considered and we look forward to participating in this program in whatever ways are deemed appropriate. Stay tuned for more about this interesting and important initiative.

floating_loon_nestThe CLA has a history of trying to foster loon nesting on Clary Lake. Back in the spring of 1999, the Clary Lake Association built and launched a floating loon nest. It disappeared after a while and it isn’t clear if the nest was ever actually used by anything besides turtles. The nest, which we thought was lost, turned up again a couple of summers ago (see: 03 June 2020: Floating Loon Nest Found After 21 Years).

There is loads more of interest in Maine Lake’s latest newsletter including an excellent write up about the LakeSmart program, something which should be of interest to all of Clary’s lake shore owners. I hope you take some time to read this newsletter! Here’s a link to the Fall 2021 Newsletter in HTML format:

If you prefer you can view a printable PDF version

The Clary Lake Association has been a supporter of Maine Lakes for a long, long time and continues to offer our financial support to this important organization.

Maine Lakes 2021 Spring Newsletter

A little late but better late than never, Maine Lake’s Spring 2021 newsletter is now freely available on line and is well worth perusing. The Clary Lake Association has been a long time member of Maine Lakes (formerly the Maine Lakes Society). Among other things, Maine Lakes administers the award winning LakeSmart program: “LakeSmart is an education and reward program that helps lakefront homeowners manage landscapes in ways that protect water quality. The program is free, non-regulatory, and voluntary.” The Clary Lake Association is considering participating in the LakeSmart program in the near future.

Reminder: Maine Lakes Webinars Are Back!

Maine Lakes Wednesday Webinars Are Back!

In light of the continuing health concerns about COVID-19, Maine Lakes will be hosting this year’s Maine Lakes Conference speakers in another series of “Wednesday Webinars” running the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, from February through June.
 
This year’s theme, A Deep Dive Into the Lake Book, features many interesting and relevant topics that correspond with our soon-to-be published 4th edition of “The Lake Book.” While we are currently finalizing speakers for some of the webinars, we are happy to announce that registration is open for the following presentations. Registration is free and easy. Hope to see you there!
 
  • Feb. 3, 4 p.m. – Winter Lake Monitoring: Life and Limnology Under the Ice. Presented by Dr. Ben Peierls, Research Director for Lakes Environmental Association. Click HERE to register.
  • Feb. 17, 4 p.m. – What Kind of Lake Is That? Putting Maine’s Lakes Into Categories for Better Water Quality Assessments and Protections. Presented by Jeremy Deeds, Aquatic Ecologist for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Click HERE to register.
  • April 21, 4 p.m. – The History and Evolution of the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program. Presented by Mary Jewett, Lakes Environmental Association’s CBI Program Director. Click HERE to register.
And please forward this email on to anyone who you might think would like to participate in these webinars. Thank you!
 
Maine Lakes | PO Box 427, Brunswick, ME 04011

14 January 2021: Maine Lakes Wednesday Webinars Are Back!

I received this email this morning from Maine Lakes (formerly the Maine Lakes Society) and thought I’d pass it on to our Clary Lake readers. I attended several Maine Lakes webinars last year and found them interesting and educational. I’m sure this year’s programs will be as well. I’ve already signed up for the first one, Winter Lake Monitoring. There’ll be more webinars. I’ll post notices of additional programs when I receive them.

Maine Lakes Wednesday Webinars Are Back!

In light of the continuing health concerns about COVID-19, Maine Lakes will be hosting this year’s Maine Lakes Conference speakers in another series of “Wednesday Webinars” running the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month, from February through June.
 
This year’s theme, A Deep Dive Into the Lake Book, features many interesting and relevant topics that correspond with our soon-to-be published 4th edition of “The Lake Book.” While we are currently finalizing speakers for some of the webinars, we are happy to announce that registration is open for the following presentations. Registration is free and easy. Hope to see you there!

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Maine Lakes Fall 2020 Newsletter Is Out

The Maine Lakes Fall 2020 Newsletter is out, and it’s 20 pages are packed full of news, interesting information, and stories focused on Maine’s lakes and ponds. It’s available as a PDF or as a re-sizable webpage. You should also plan on attending some of their Maine Lakes 2021 Conference sessions by Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month at 4 p.m. starting  February 3rd through June 16th. I attended several webinars last summer and they were fun and informative. To be notified when registration is open, check out their website, www.lakes.me, after the new year or email info@lakes.me. I’ll also post a webinar schedule here when it becomes available. The Clary Lake Association has been a supporting member of Maine Lakes (formerly the Maine Lakes Society) for many years. 

8 June 2020: Maine Lakes Society Spring 2020 Newsletter

The Maine Lakes Society has mailed their Spring 2020 Newsletter and it’s been made available as a PDF for online viewing. Enjoy. It’s a very nice newsletter with several very interesting articles including one on Snapping Turtles and another on Toxic Algal Blooms. Totally worth perusing this newsletter:

Maine Lakes Society’s This Week’s Hero

I blame my father. I’m not one to seek attention but I suppose this is news and if I don’t share it here, no one will 🙂

From the Maine Lakes website’s 50 Lake Heroes for Our 5oth Anniversary post:

George Fergusson, Clary Lake

In 2011, Clary Lake and its Association were in trouble.  A dispute with the owner of the dam controlling the lake level was leading toward seven years of unswimmable, unboatable water and significant environmental damage to the natural resource. Only 28 of 100+ littoral owners were members.  Now in 2019, thanks to the unwavering efforts of George Fergusson, the Association’s long-time Secretary, the CLA has purchased and repaired the dam, the water level has been restored, and 148 (!) members can once again enjoy the benefits of a healthy lake.

George has lived on Clary Lake his entire adult life, and has been its prime steward for decades.  He instigated the 2012 petition to DEP for a Lake Level Order, and then bore the brunt of legal harassment by the dam owner that prevented the Order from being implemented for five years. This included endless hours compiling and drafting documents for court, attending innumerable hearings, and managing fund-raising for legal expenses.  His personal solicitation of new members meant that when the dam fell into bankruptcy, the Association could raise $120,000 for purchase and repair.  George is a certified Water Quality Monitor, and has measured and maintained daily records of the lake level for years, information that was crucial to DEP’s recent approval of CLA’s Water Level Management Plan.  He has been tireless in meeting with town officials, state agency staff, the press, contractors, and attorneys to keep the effort moving forward, and continually encouraged the Board of the CLA even when the quest seemed hopeless and endless.